Robaina's

Robaina's plantation

Monday, 15 June 2015

Prado at Night (Havana) A very pleasant Boulevard

Prado, as I've always known it by, is a lovely boulevard that's the center of many people's daily lives and a wonderful place for a stroll day or night. These pictures were taken on a Saturday night coming out of 'La Terraza' restaurant, notice the people walking about or sleeping on one of the benches. I've often seen kids skateboarding or rollerblading along here and on Saturdays during the day they have an artist's market where you'll find cheap (tourist) paintings and trinkets. At night it's absolutely beautiful and quite safe, seeing police along here is common. I would recommend walking here at a reasonable hour of the night at least and with some sense left of your surroundings. Let's not forget that safe and stupid are two different things.

A Plaque at one end of the boulevard reads (roughly translated);

The 'New Prado' or 'Alameda or the Walls' was built by the 'Captain General Marques de La Torre' in 1772 and was successively improved during the 19th and 20th centuries for relaxation and recreation of the inhabitants of the city of Havana. She's had successive names like, 'Paseo de Isabel II' and now 'Paseo de Marti' but everyone calls it by it's most popular name 'El Prado'.